New York Islanders Star Mike Bossy Dies Of Cancer

LONG ISLAND, NY — Mike Bossy, a four-time Stanley Cup Champion with the New York Islanders and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, died Thursday at age 65 after a fight with lung cancer.

Bossy played his entire NHL career for the Islanders from the 1977-78 season through 1986-87 and was dubbed the "greatest pure goal scorer" by his hockey club. In October 2021, Bossy announced he had lung cancer.

"The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world," said Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello in a statement. "His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none. Along with his teammates, he helped win four straight Stanley Cup championships, shaping the history of this franchise forever."

A native of Montreal, Bossy was drafted 15th overall by the Islanders in the 1977 NHL draft. He was part of the Islanders dynasty who won four straight Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983.

Bossy's 573 goals scored put in first in Islanders history and 22nd in NHL history. Only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have reached the 500-goal mark in fewer games. His 553 assists are third in Islanders history, and total 1,126 points are second in Islanders history.

Bossy had nine straight seasons with 50 or more goals, with five of those seasons having 60 or more goals. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top rookie in 1977-1978, was the NHL Leading Goal Scorer in the 1978-1979 and 1980-1981 seasons, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP in 1981-1982, and won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship in 1982-1983, 1983-1984, and 1985-1986.

In the playoffs, Bossy has the Islanders record for most playoff goals — 85. As a team, the Islanders set an NHL record of 19 straight playoff series wins. He also represented the Islanders at seven NHL All-Star Games.

Bossy was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1991. His number 22 was retired by the Islanders in 1992. After retiring from the NHL, Bossy worked in the sponsorship, fan development and community relations departments for the Islanders as well as a hockey analyst on TVA Sports network in Quebec.

The Islanders have also lost Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gilles and Jean Potvin in 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.